Exeter gang member, 17-year-old girl arrested in shooting of teenager

UPDATE: On Monday morning, authorities arrested a second suspect – a 17-year-old girl – in Visalia in connection with the April 23 shooting in Exeter. The girl was booked into Tulare County’s juvenile on charges of attempted murder and conspiracy.

ORIGINAL STORY: An Exeter gang member was arrested in Visalia on Sunday in connection to a drive-by shooting of a 14-year-old girl in April, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department said.

On April 23, around 9:50 p.m., Exeter police were called to the area of Pine and F streets for a report of gunshots and a wounded victim.

The girl was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

She had been walking to the store with two others when a vehicle slowed down and people yelled gang slurs at them, witnesses told investigators. The others ran away but the girl dropped to the ground as the vehicle sped off.

Investigators developed leads and evidence that identified Brendon Lee Martin, 18, a Northern gang member, as the person who fired the weapon, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Visalia police responded to a disturbance on the 3900 block of West Whitendale Avenue around 2 p.m. Sunday and arrested Martin, the Sheriff’s Department said. He was booked into the Tulare County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder.